By IANS,
Shimla : A local court will decide Saturday whether the bail granted to former union minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife, who have been facing a graft case since 2009, should be cancelled.
After hearing prosecution’s plea that Virbhadra Singh has been influencing the witnesses, Special Judge B.L. Soni at the district courts Wednesday reserved the order.
The court framed corruption charges against the couple June 25 this year. It has granted them bail in Dec 2011.
Special Public Prosecutor Jiwan Lal Sharma pleaded for cancelling the former chief minister’s bail on the plea that the investigating agency has sufficient incriminating material for cancelling the bail.
As the case was listed for hearing Wednesday, Sharma moved a supplementary application under Section 439(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code seeking cancellation of the bail.
Citing an affidavit dated Sep 6 by witness in the case, Amar Singh, a former employee of Solan-based brewery Mohan Meakin Ltd., the public prosecutor said Virbhadra Singh, through his representative, had pressurized and gave allurement to him to retract his statement.
He also said there was evidence showing that the accused had tried to influence another witness.
However, the defence argued that the prosecution evidence lacked legal standing.
“The evidences were largely based on electronic devices like DVDs and videos. This court has already ruled that such devices are not admissible as evidence. Moreover, the accused has not violated any condition granted during the bail,” the defence said.
It also said his name didn’t figure in the evidence presented by the prosecution.
Virbhadra Singh Friday appeared in the court and pleaded innocence and demanded a speedy trial.
The case against the senior Congress leader, who took over as the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief last month, and his wife was registered in 2009, for alleged misuse of official position and criminal misconduct when he was the chief minister in 1989.
Virbhadra Singh resigned as the union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises soon after charges were framed in the 23-year-old corruption case.